Sickle bar mower attachment for garden tractors



March 26, 1946. F. v. DONALD SICKLE BAR MOWER ATTACHMENT FOR GARDEN TRACTORS I Filed Dec. 24, 1945 farms? YDmaZa Patented Mar. 26,1946

SICKLE BAR MOWER ATTACHMENT FOR GARDEN TBACTOBS Forrest V. Donald, Port Washington, Wia, assignor to Simplicity Manufacturing Company, Port Washington, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin 1 Original application November 19, 1941, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 24, 1943, Serial No. 515,491

2 Claims.

This invention relates to sickle bar mowers and particularly to a sickle bar mower attachment for garden tractors, and is a division of the copending application of Forrest V. Donald, Serial No. 419,708, filed November 19, 1941, now Patent No. 2,368,290.

The garden tractor which constitutes the subject matter of the aforesaid application has a frame supported on a single traction wheel. At its front end this frame mounts an engine base upon whichthe engine for the tractor is positioned; and beneath the engine base means are provided for quickly detachably fastening various implements and attachments to the frame. One of the attachments adapted to be so fastened to the frame of the tractor is the sickle bar mower of the present invention.

When mounted in position, the sickle bar mower attachment extends transversely in front of the tractor. and thus permits cutting tall grass and weeds in the path of the tractor and to the side thereof due to the lateral projection of the sickle bar.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an attachment of this type which when mounted in position will be rigid and capable of relatively hard use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple effective manner of driving the cutter bar of the mower from the tractor engine.

In this connection, it is a further object of this invention to provide a drive transmission which may be" easily and quickly established or released.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, com- .bination and arrangement of parts substantally as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a tractor having the sickle bar mower attachment of this invention mounted thereon; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sickle bar mower per se and showing only that much of the tractor frame as is necessary to bring out the relationship therebetween. one end portion of the sickle barbeing cut away.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates generally the tractor to which the sickle bar mower attachment 6 is' releasabiy secured. As fully described in the aforesaid application, Serial No. 419,708, now Patent No. 2,368,290, the tractor 5 has a substantially horizontal frame I mounted on a traction wheel 8. While the specific tractor shown has only one traction wheel, it is apparent that a pair of wheels may be substituted without deviating from the invention.

The usual handle bars 9 extend upwardly and rearwardly from the frame. The front end of the frame consists of two parallel side bars l0 connected by an inverted U shaped stamping II.

The manner in which this attachment is ef-' fected constitutes no part of the present invention and is fully covered in the aforesaid application.

For the present, it is sufficient to note that the lower portions of the flanges l3 have horizontal notches ll opening to the front end thereof and substantially vertical notches (not shown) opening to the bottom edge thereof near their rear ends. These notches are adapted to receive screws (not shown) carried in tubular cross bars IE only one, of which is shown, and which constitute part of the implement frame. Clamping plates H are clamped against the outer faces of the side flanges 13 by tightening nuts i8 threaded on the screws (not shown) of the'cross bars It to secure the implement frame to the tractor frame. One of the clamping plates lies between the nuts l8 and the adjacent flange while the other is drawn against the opposite side flange I: by the heads of the screws.

In the present instance the tubular cross bars ii are secured to and connect upwardly and rearwardly extending frame members I9 and 20, the latter being welded to the former and extending rearwardly at a greater angle. Substantially at the juncture of these frame members a cross piece 2| connects the frame members [9 and another cross piece 22 connects the lower 1 ends of the frame members IS. The cross piece 22 has the sickle bar proper indicated generally by the numeral 23 secured thereto and extendin to one side thereof.

The sickle bar 'per se'consists of the usual stationary member 24 the forward edge of which has jaway from the am structure and throws the cuttings'over the projecting end'of the sickle bar comb liketeeth 23 provided with the customary knives, and a reciprocating cutter bar 23 the knives of which coact with the stationary knives. The cutter bar 23 is suitably guided for reciprocation in guideways on the stationary part of the bar.

As is customary shoes '21 (only one of which is shown) are provided at opposite ends of the sickle bar, and a guard 23 extends upwardly and laterally from one of the shoes to guide the cuttings to the side or the drive mechanism. l

The means for reciprocating the cutter bar 26 comprises a bell crank lever 23 consisting of a vertical shaft 30 and angularly disposed lever arms 3i and 32. Theshaft 30 is journalled in suitable bearings mounted in an upright tubular bearing housing 33 welded or otherwise secured to the cross piece 2| of the sickle bar frame. Thelower lever arm 3| has its free end pivotally connected to the cutter bar as at 29' and the upper lever arm 32 has its free end connected by a pitman 34 with the pin of, a crank 35.

The crank 35 is mounted on a cross shaft 36 journalled in bearings suitably-mounted in the sickle bar frame and extending to the opposite side thereof to mount a drive pulley 31. The pulley 31 is adapted to be driven from the engine by means of a belt 38 the tension of which is manually controlled by an idler 39.

The idler 33 is mounted on a pivoted arm Ill and is adapted to be pulled against the belt by a link 4| connected with the manually operated control tion to the upstanding leg of a clip angle 43 carried by the outer end portion of the lever arm 3| adjacent to the pivotal connection 23' of the lever arm with the cutting blade. The rod 42 lies nearly horizontal and extends from a point adjacent to the guard 28 at the forward end of the rod rearwardly over the sickle bar and terminates alongside the outermost frame member l9 between the frame structure and the projecting end of the sickle bar so as to lie substantially crosswise in front of the frame structure.

vIn this position the rod helps deflect cuttings and hence onto the out swath and away from the uncut stand by its bodily oscillation with the out: or end of the lever arm 3|.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides an exceedingly simple but eflicient sickle bar mower attachment for garden tractors. 1

What I claim as my invention is: a 1. A mower attachment for tractors comprise ing: a sickle bar including a reciprocabl'e cutting blade; a frame structure connected to -one end flector rod connected to saidoscillatory member.

medially of the ends of the rod to move bodily with the oscillatory member, said. rod lying in 9. substantially horizontal position, and extending over the sickle bar substantially diagonally crosswise in front of the frame structure'with its rear end portion disposed alongside the frame structure at the side thereof facing of the sickle bar.

2. A mower attachment for tractors comprising: a sickle bar including a reciprocable cutting the projecting end blade; 9. frame structure connected to one end" reciprocatory motion thereto; a deflector rod connected to said oscillatory member medially of the ends of the rod to move bodily with the oscillatory member, said rod lying in a substantially horizontal position and extending over the sicklelbar substantially diagonally crosswise in front of the frame structure with its rear end portion disposed alongside the frame structure at theside thereof facing the projecting end of the sickle bar for throwing cuttings over the sickle bar to-,

ward the projecting end of the bar; and a stationary guide bar carried by a non-reciprocating portion of the sickle bar adjacent to the forward end of the deflector rod to deflect material to be cut away from the frame structureand into the path of motion of the deflector rod.

FORREST V. DONAL 

